What is Training?

Training is the process through which any individual in the workplace develops any particular set of skills, knowledge and expertise that relates to specific useful competencies. The purpose is to improve your employees’ capability, capacity, productivity and performance. Basic training might get the job done initially. However you must continue into the long run to see more effective results. It is important to maintain, upgrade and update skills throughout your employee’s tenure to ensure success in your company.

Types of Workplace Training

Foundational Training

Also known as onboarding, foundational training instills a sense of understanding and basic know-how of your company’s processes for a new hire trainee. This is the foundational knowledge base and specific requirements of the role a newly hired trainee will need to know. It helps you to move the new employee into a skilled employee. They will be able to perform the responsibilities assigned to them. A foundational training schedule is important for someone coming from a different work environment. It will educate them on your company’s policies and instill a sense of responsibility in them. This allows every new hire to go through the same experience and learn your company expectations up front.

Day to Day Training

Day-to-day training is ongoing. Train existing employees in new details of their normal work responsibilities every single day. The focus is on updating their skill set and developing and improving upon their existing knowledge to learn new technologies, sectors or expertise that helps them grow to take on new challenges and opportunities. Thus, it will impart new or additional skills to existing employees outside of initial or vocational scenarios.

When you have a culture of continuous, day-to-day learning, you are able to look internally to fill any additional need that may come up. If your staff is ready and willing to learn new things, it is more cost-effective for you in the long run. The resources necessary to train your experienced employees are minimal because they already know your expectations and work culture. Research demonstrates that a day to day approach in coaching alongside and engaging in relevant work will help your employees to develop skills faster and they are able to retain the knowledge and apply it in real world scenarios better.

Vocational Training

Vocational training teaches employees how to be proficient in a particular craft or trade such as engineering, accounting, nursing, medicine, architecture, or law. It helps your staff understand and learn the practical know-how of a particular job duty. It is also not limited by a text book approach and encourages your trainee to get hands-on knowledge. In an emergency or troubleshooting situation, a trainee who has adequate vocational training can provide solutions in real time. Take advantage of the internet and design online vocational courses to teach your employees specific trade skills and soft skills and overcoming time constraints and language barriers.

Behavior Training

Behavior is the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially toward others. As you can imagine, this is especially important in the workplace. Behavior drives intrapersonal, interpersonal and organizational skills. This will impact issues that occur in time management, internal and external relationships and organizational strategy, for example. Positively changing your employee’s behavior in any of these skill sets will increase their effectiveness in your business. Therefore, this is where behavior coaching comes in. Technical training happens on the job formally or informally, whereas behavioral training is learned through life experiences. Your job is to coach them into becoming self aware and to give them self managing work habits and values.

Conclusion

The big idea here is that training begins with the individual. When you invest in your staff and create a culture of continuous learning, you will experience positive growth. Therefore, provide formal and informal ways for them to learn and show them how to self-manage their behavior to achieve the outcomes you desire. They will perform and so will your business.